Revenge
by Merina 2
Summary: "My revenge. The revenge I would have on Edward for what he'd done. How he would scream when I'd killed his love. How she would scream as I killed her..."
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: This story was written several months back, right at the beginning of my fanfiction and general writing. I was inexperianced and writing for my own fun - not trying to be clever or famous or grammatically correct. So if you looking for some better written stories, I suggest you check out some other of my more recent stories via my profile page :D**

**But if your not bothered, and can look past some occasional cheesiness and dodgy lines, keep reading. Thanks!**

* * *

Vicoria's Revenge

Victoria's POV

The girl's screams echo piercingly round the dark alleyway.

A strikingly pale and inhumanly beautiful woman with fiery, flame-like hair crouches over a young girl with blood trickling from wounds on her neck. The woman is tense, holding herself forcefully away from the pouring blood – restraining.

The girl's screams quieten. Her face contorts with pain. She looks with terror at the fiery-haired woman above her, then her eyes close and her body goes limp.

The woman smiles slightly, but her eyes are glazed, as though she's not really seeing the girl in front of her eyes, but another girl, a girl in her mind, the one she really wants.

The woman bends to the girl's wounds and begins to drink her blood.

I always savoured this moment. This was what I would do to Bella. _She_ would shudder and gasp like the human I was now drinking greedily from had done, she would die at my hand, like _he_ had…like _James _had at the hand of Edward's.

_Edward._

The name always seemed to shoot a hole through me whenever I thought it. Edward. A tiny, miniscule hole compared the gaping, raw chasm that James's absence caused. But still, _that boy_, that _Edward_, caused another, smaller, angrier hole. Such a brief glance I'd got of him in that meadow. That damn meadow. That was where it had all started, where _He'd _seen Bella.

_Bella._

I drew away briefly from the white, half-drained girl, only to turn her over and bite her neck furiously once again on the other side, imagining that she was Bella. It eased my fury ever so slightly. The blood continued to pour.

She was going to be so sorry. So, so sorry she had ever messed with my kind, ever made James want her. So, so, _so_ sorry she had ever fallen for Edward. _Edward. _I had to hold back a hiss whenever I thought that name.

I drained the last of the blood, and straightened up, my breathing slightly fast.

The girl had really been a poor substitute for who I _really_ wanted to kill. This girl was tall and very heavily make-upped, and black-haired – Bella wasn't.

I had killed far better resemblances before now.

There had been one girl in particular – one night, a few weeks back, I had found her. Her hair was – had - been almost identical to Bella's, her skin as pale too – even her _scent _had had a touch of that flowery, perfume-like smell Bella's had. I had enjoyed that one.

I scooped up the girl's battered, drained body, and buried it under a huge pile of trash that stood next to me. The dark alley was utterly deserted, miles from any inhabited house, I was sure. By the time the trash collectors got here to do their job, the girl wouldn't be recognizable anymore.

I stood up and headed back to the end of the street. I did a quick 360 degree scan of the small, dark square I was in. Nothing. No one. I was alone.

I sighed heavily as I contemplated that fact.

I _was _alone. Completely alone. Not a soul – not an immortal – for miles. I had not a friend, not a mate, not even an acquaintance, in the whole world. I was alone. Alone.

It had been almost seven months since He'd been killed. Murdered. Murdered by that Cullen, that disgusting, stupid, _vile _vegetarian; the very reason I was so lost now; the cause of my hopelessness, my never-ending grief, the motivation behind my constant planning and plotting for revenge.

Revenge. I smiled, thinking of that one word over and over…the revenge I would have on Edward for what he'd done. How he would_ scream_ when I'd killed his love. How _she _would scream as I killed her…

I planned it many times. How I would do it. Exactly how long I would take over it. That is, a very, very, _very _long time.

I also plotted how I would get to her. I'd spent hours – hours upon hours – thinking about this part of the plan. She was well protected. Protected by that Edward's "family" of other vegetarians. Why they cared so much about her was beyond me. I knew for a fact that when James was hunting her, every single family member had risen up in her defence. Weird things, changing your natural diet seemed to do.

But no matter how weird, how crazy it seemed, the fact remained. They were protecting her. And there were seven of them, and one of me.

My early plans had been reckless. I had been mad – madder than I was now – with grief. I'd planned to simply run straight to her house, kill her father too – how she would hate that – and then start on her. I'd fantasized over how I would actually _kill_ her, rather than sit back and work out how to _get _to her in the first place. But the Cullens stood unswervingly in my way. I was strong, clever, fast, and had an uncanny knack for escaping. My "talent". But that wasn't enough. Probably not even enough to take on two of them, let alone all seven.

So I had stopped. I had thought. I had plotted and schemed and hunted poor substitutes for Bella in the process. And I had mourned. Sobbed dry sobs, cried invisible tears, screamed with the agony and loss of my beloved. But all to no avail. I had no plan, I had no scheme. I had nothing. Nada. Nothing…


	2. Chapter 2

Victoria's Revenge; PART 2

Victoria's POV

The town at night was silent. At least, this one was. The walls were filthy, windows smashed on every house, boards covering others, rubbish _everywhere._ I was still thirsty. I wanted more – but with not a figure in seemingly the whole town, I doubted I would get another meal before tomorrow. Then perhaps a single human might possibly show up in this god-forsaken place.

When morning finally arrived, and strips of sunlight began to brighten the dark streets, I hadn't found a single other meal anywhere.

I glared at the rising sun, just visible over the roofs of the grim houses, which all looked even _more _horrible and wreaked in the daylight.

Now it was day, hunting would be much harder. And I'd never been that comfortable with being around humans in daytime.

Still scowling, I began to make my way vaguely towards the centre of town. A few people passed me in cars and a moth eaten cat darted away from me into a dark alley. The town was getting busier.

Eventually, I found a middle aged woman watering her flowers outside a half collapsed house down another small alley. She took barely a second. I was happier once she was done – filled with blood and no longer distracted by my thirst, I began to wonder, yet again, where I should head to next.

I was in the South. _The dangerous south_. Ha-ha. I didn't know where exactly, just that I was south. Home of newborn armies, wars and disputes. Not a happy place to be human. But I had been here for weeks; hunting, wandering aimlessly, useless half-formed plans flowing through my mind. I needed someplace new. A new lead. I needed a _plan. _

I was passing a cyclist who took one look at me, gaping, then drove promptly into a wall, yelping, when _he_ came round the corner. I froze. He did to. I stared at him, stared at the person I hadn't thought of in months. Not since…_that _day.

Laurent.

Laurent had been with us, me and….and… _James - _I forced my self to think the name – when we'd first met the Cullens. He'd been a quiet, easy-going vampire, who'd come with us for convenience more than anything else at the time. But now…

Laurent gave me a small, sympathetic smile.

I felt a volley of emotions flow through me. The strongest was pure hatred – fury at this man – this vampire – who had deserted James and me in our hunt, had warned the Cullens about us, and then disappeared into the blue. He had helped with – maybe even secured – James's death. I fought to keep my expression from showing my feelings, forced myself to not sprint headlong across the street and rip him to shreds. I held back my fury, for just a few seconds…and a few seconds was all it took. A second to think...to wonder…

Now he could be useful.

He had warned the Cullens. He had helped them, spoken to them.

He could help me. _Spy_ for me.

With two of us…well, the possibilities were much more open. He would hunt with me, _help _me. He would be easy to persuade, I was sure. And if he wasn't…well, then I would take my time killing him for what he'd done.

Right now, I had a part to play – a part to play well, a part that required the opposite of what I really wanted to do to him.

I let a slow – and slightly pained, because my face hadn't assumed that expression for so long – smile slide across my face, raised my hand, and beckoned to him jerking my head in the direction of another dirty side-street. More and more people were starting to walk the town now, and I was conspicuous.

He followed me, of course, but looked a little surprised; rather wary. He must have been expecting a much less welcome greeting from me. I moved swiftly further back into the ally, still beckoning.

"Further in!" I hissed. "Come further in! Where we can't be heard – where we can speak openly."

He nodded, darting after me as I rounded another corner and hit a dead end that held nothing but another flea-ridden cat. It hissed as we both came to a standstill. I crouched to spring and hissed back at it. It meowed loudly in terror and flicked away through a small gap in the wall. I laughed quietly.

"I see you haven't changed much, Victoria" Laurent said. His expression was carefully polite, giving nothing away, though the wariness was still there.

"I see neither have you, _Laurent"_, I said smoothly, turning back to face him. He smiled slightly, amused, but then his expression softened.

"I was very sorry to hear of your loss." he said, almost gently. "So very, very sorry." He seemed to be trying to throw in an apology as soon as possible before my politeness reached its end, and the unwelcome-ness he'd been expecting broke through.

"Please," he continued quickly. "Understand that if there is anything you need, anything at all you want doing, feel free to ask me_._"He glanced nervously up at me, and I fought back a smirk at how scared he seemed to be of my reaction.

"I'm sure I owe you that." he added, tentatively.

This was going to be easier than I'd thought. I took a step closer to him, forcing my face to smile reassuringly at him.

"Things I need _doing, _you say?" I said, wondering how far he was prepared to go with this.

He nodded at once. "Anything at all. I understand you must be finding it….difficult. Without your mate, I mean. You two both seemed very…closely bonded."

Acid churned in my stomach as he said the word. _Mate. Closely bonded. _I clenched my firsts and looked sharply away from him, down at the filthy ground. Stop it stop it stop it, I thought furiously. Don't you DARE let out a sob in front of him. Don't you _dare_…

"Ah, Victoria" Laurent's voice murmured my name with sympathy and kindness radiating from every syllable – but even _I _didn't miss the enormous gush of relief. He reached towards me, hand outstretched – then seemed to think better of it. He dropped it awkwardly, and waited for me to look up again. When I eventually did, I tossed my fiery hair back out of my face, and tried to clear my head. My mind was soon fully focussed on my plan again.

"I have something I want, Laurent. Something I want desperately_. _More than anything in the world, anything _at all_."

Laurent looked like he new the answer, and was eager to help. "And what might that be?"

"Revenge." I said. "Revenge on _that _family,on _that _boy. _Edward." _The name came out in almost a hiss.

"I want to take from _him_ what he took from _me_. I want his mate. You saw her with him before, back in that meadow? _Bella."_ I spat her name. "I want her. Her blood. I want to get her alone, someplace away from everyone, away that family, all alone_. _And then_…"_ I felt a true, unforced smile of pleasure spreading across my face; the thought made me thirsty again. "…and then I'll show Edward what it feels like to have your mate torn from you forever."

Laurent was looking far from relived now.

"And how, may I ask, do you plan to do this?" he asked, cautiously.

My mind went into overdrive - skipping the challenge and rushing straight into the reward.

"I plan to kill her. Very slowly_. _Bit by bit, piece by piece, bite by bite…" I was smiling widely now; the wonderful thought of it.

Laurent looked definitely uncomfortable now. "No…no, I…um…I meant the actual getting _to_ her part. How do you plan to get past them? The Cullens? All _seven _of them?"

Damn plain logic ruins the best of moments.

"That's where you come in." He looked at me blankly.

"There are things you can do for me, that I myself cannot. I need you as my accomplice." I continued. "My spy. My right hand man."

Oh help I wished I hadn't said that. _Right hand man._ Exactly what I had been to James - only female. His right hand _woman, _his loyal mate, his source of information and comfort, the one person he trusted and confided in….

"I need your help Laurent. Need it badly." I forced my face into a pleading, desperate expression. This one wasn't too difficult – though I'd never in a million years have _pleaded_ with anyoneunless I absolutely had too.

"I…" Laurent still looked apprehensive.

I waited, preparing to let all hell break loose if he refused.

"I suppose….I _could_ help you. Be your "accomplice". I'm really at a loose end at the moment, and a new coven – however small – would be much welcomed." He still looked slightly relived at my fake-friendliness. "But as your accomplice…what exactly would that entitle?"

I sighed with relief. He certainly had been easy to persuade. How terrified he had been when he looked at me…

I smiled for a moment, then answered his question. "Well…one of the first things I would want you to do – something I most certainly couldn't – is travel back to Washington. Back to Forks." He listened, still looking thoughtful, his eyes on the grimy ground.

"I would want you to go back, there and find her. Find Bella," I continued, "I need to know exactly what I'm up against. Exactly how much protection she's got from _that family. _And _I _can't do this. I was…" I swallowed. "I was His mate. I fought with him, alongside him, against _them_. They'll be suspicious of me. But _you_…you didn't."

_You instead sided with them, gave them information, and then vanished like the coward you are, so you wouldn't have to be involved in any dirty fights_.

"Knowing their leader's sickening politeness he'll welcome you with open arms if you're found out."

Laurent nodded, agreeing. He moved his face up to meet mine.

"Of course…I could help you. At least for now." He gave me another relived smile. "I _am _curious to see them again. The Cullens. And Bella, as a matter of fact." He nodded to himself again. "Yes…yes of course I will help you. As I said, I've been at a loose end since I left Tanya's."

My immense relief was cut short by his last sentence.

"Tanya's?"

"Tanya, Eleazar, Kate and…Irina." I was surprised by how much his expression softened slightly on the last name. "I travelled to their home in Denali just after I left you and James."

_Wince. _

"They are vegetarians. Like the…Cullens"

I snarled. Laurent jumped and glanced fearfully at me again.

"_Vegetarians_…ugh I hate them!" My words were distorted by my snarl.

"Dear Victoria, you would not have hated these ones." Laurent said, in a somewhat soothing voice. "Not Irina, at least."

That soft look again - I'd never seen it on his face before. It reminded me faintly of…of how _James _– the name stung – used to look at me.

I sighed at his dreamy expression.

"All right then" I demanded, crossing my arms. "Let's hear it. What is there between this _Irina_ and you?"

Laurent chuckled at my challenging expression. "Before we talk anymore, might I suggest that we hunt? Soon? I haven't done so for a long while, and my throat does burn -"

"- I highly doubt you'll find anything in _this _place" I grumbled, interrupting him. "I spent the whole night searching these miserable alleyways, and only found two. And if we go any closer into the city, I doubt they'll be enough secluded places to eat unnoticed."

"Then where do you suggest we go?"

I thought.

"North." I decided. "I can't come too near to Forks with you, but we may as well travel the earlier part of the journey there together. They'll be many more opportunities to hunt the further from this place. Less competition."

"Ah yes, from the armies." He nodded, knowingly.

"Exactly."

"North it is then. Whatever you say, Victoria."

* * *

**Ah, this is fun. I like writing this lol :D**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Victoria's Revenge; PART 3

Victoria's POV

I found that having Laurent with me really wasn't that bad. To be able to talk - to actually _converse_ with someone, was better than anything I'd dealt with for seven months. And the friendly charade wasn't quiet as hard as I'd thought it would be.

Though we ended up simply waiting till nightfall again for out next hunt, the time we spent travelling was used up by each of us filling the other in on what we'd been doing since our last meeting.

"Irina is the loveliest woman I have met in my life." Laurent had first told me, as we'd made our way out from the outskirts of town. "I enjoyed my time very much with that coven mostly because of her. They were all most welcoming to me."

"And?" I prompted. "You became mates?"

"You could call it that, I suppose," he said, indifferently.

Then he looked over at me and grimaced. "Though we didn't exactly see eye-to-eye on few subjects. Hunting, for one thing."

I snorted. "Bet she tried to persuade you how _terrible _it is to hunt humans, how _unfair _to end their lives for them, how _morally wrong _the act is, how –"

"No." Laurent interrupted my sarcastic remarks. "She didn't. Not at all in fact. But her sister, Tanya, merely explained to me that, if I wished to stay with them, refraining from hunting in the area would be an absolute first."

Still didn't change how ridiculous the idea was to me.

"And how did you find that?" I asked sceptically.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh I tried hunting _with_ them. _Vegetarianism._ But I must confess, I wasn't very good at it."

_I'll bet_, I thought.

"The restraint was…difficult. And the satisfaction? _Nothing _on humans. How they keep it up, I have no idea."

He glanced at me slyly. "Actually, rather often I…"cheated"." He winked.

I smirked. "Good for you."

He sighed. "Well, it _was_ good at first. But Tanya must have suspected something, I think. In the end I'd had enough – I couldn't keep it up. I left them just a few weeks back."

"And Irina?"

"Is and will remain in my heart and thoughts. But I can't help myself. I _cannot_ live that foul diet that they do."

"You fared better than I would have. I doubt I'd have lasted a single day – no, not a single _hunt_." I grimaced at the thought. Deer blood. Ugh. Lion blood. Double _ugh_. Cat or _dog_ blood? Ugh ugh _ugh ugh_!

"Speaking of hunting" Laurent interrupted my disgusting thoughts. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be dark within the next half hour or so. And we should be nearing the next town pretty soon…" He trailed off as a house loomed out of the dark in front of us. We had reached the edge of the forest we'd been travelling through. Ahead of us, and in front of the large first house, more buildings stretched away into the dimming light. We _had _reached a town.

I ran down the right edge of the house, and peered through a window. Broken furniture littered the inside, and the windows on the opposite wall were smashed. Glass also lay on the filthy floor.

"No one." I said over my shoulder to Laurent, who had come up behind me. I moved quickly down the side of the house, and check a few other houses down the road I ended up in. Nothing.

"We're obviously in the 'darkest' bit of town" Laurent's joking voice came from across the road, where he too was peering into a window. "I don't think we need worry about being seen _here._"

I opened my mouth to agree - when a babble of voices reached my ears. They were coming from the end of the alley, and as I watched, a group of about four men rounded the corner, all laughing loudly. To my relief, they didn't look drunk – only high-spirited. Must be on their way to a club or something, I thought.

Well, now they would never reach it.

I glanced over at Laurent, who had come to stand close to me. He grinned over at me through the gloom, teeth flashing.

"Ladies first?" he offered.

"Deal with the blond ones. We gotta keep this quiet."

He nodded, and I pounced. The men didn't even seem to have noticed us – but they did now. I leapt at the tallest one first – snapping his neck in a half-second, then reaching for the next one. I bit down hard into his throat before he realised what was happening, and his scream of terror became a strangled gasp. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Laurent do the same with the other two. Barely a sound had escaped any of them.

I drained the first one quickly, savouring every mouthful – three hunts in 24 hours! – and then reached for the taller one, who I'd killed first. His wasn't as enjoyable. He'd been dead a few minutes – his blood had cooled a little. But no matter. I was thirsty, and he was satisfying enough for now at least.

Laurent was done before me. He stood up, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and pushing the two bodies away into a corner of the alley while he waited for me to finish. When I was done, we both pushed them through the broken window of a wrecked house.

I smiled at Laurent. "They were good. Much better than my last meal."

"And mine," he agreed, also smiling. His eyes were bright red, as I were mine, I was sure. "And it's nice to enjoy a proper meal for once – _fully _enjoy it."

"Ugh," I said, thinking of lions and deer. "I don't know _how_ you kept it up – I really don't."

"Without Irina, I doubt I would ever have even tried. But…there you go. Some endure it."

He gestured to the gap between the houses, from which we'd come through from the forest. "Shall we?"

I nodded, and led the two of us moved back past the windows, and out into the trees again.

"Though it _does_ seem to bond them well." Laurent mused, as we turned back towards the north. "They all, for example, considered the...ah…._Cullens,_ to be practically extended family." He glanced over at me, watching my expression as the name past his lips.

For a second, I simply fought back another hiss at the name. But then a thought struck me.

"They know the Cullens?" I asked suddenly.

Laurent was still watching my expression. "Yes…?" He replied, inquiringly.

I felt a smile spreading over my face. "Then tell me, Laurent."

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me _everything_ they said about them. About the Cullens."

Laurent looked slightly uncomfortable. "I'm not sure Irina would like –"

"I don't _care_ what _Irina_ would like and not like you to tell me." I interrupted harshly, frowning. "I'm telling you now, Laurent. Iwant to know everythingyou know – _everything_."

He bit his lip. "But Irina wouldn't –"

"Laurent."

I took a step closer to him, my frown becoming a glare. He looked down at me warily, and I once again felt pleased at how afraid he seemed to be of me.

"You have agreed to help and assist me with my tasks. You are now travelling and hunting alongside me. You are about to run off to Forks on my instructions."

He glanced uneasily found the forest, looking everywhere but at me.

"I've been unwaveringly polite and civil to you so far," I said quietly. His would-be-steadfast expression faltered as I took another step towards him. I rushed on without thinking. "Which is_ more than you deserve _after what you did to_ James _and me!"

Laurent mouth dropped in horror at my words. What, was he _actually_ as stupid as to have thought I'd _forgotten _what he'd done? I felt my fists clench – stupid, dumb, cowardly french vampire…

"I…of course…I'm sorry….Victoria, please I'm sorry…" he fumbled over an apology.

"Then there is nothing more to discuss." I hissed. "Tell me _everything_!"

He learnt away from me, eyes flicking uneasily round the dark forest.

"As we travel." he mumbled.

"Good." I stepped back, and slid my glare into a satisfied smile. "Come, then." I turned to the North, and we continued our journey.

* * *

"Carlisle Cullen," Laurent began, as we crossed a river, "Founded his vegetarian family a few centuries ago. His wife is Esme. He changed Rosalie, then Emmett – that's the blond one and the big, burly one – then Edward."

He looked to see how I would react to the name. I forced my expression to stay normal, and just succeeded. "Go on." I said through gritted teeth.

"I…yes – they were the first. Then Jasper – that's the blond boy, and Alice – that's the little spiky-haired one – joined them. Edward found Bella…" – I kept my expression carefully neutral - "…at Fork's High School. They have been together a little over a year, now."

And now for the most important question. "Tell me their powers. Their talents."

Laurent bit his lip, obviously thinking of Irina, and then went on.

"Their most powerful talent is…Alice. She can…she can see the future."

He looked to see how I would react to that. I didn't say anything, refusing to show my feelings. He continued to look at me for a second, then went on in a rush.

"Then there's Jasper – he can influence emotions, calm down or excite people for example – and Edward. Edward can…he can read minds. Read your thoughts. Hear what you're thinking." He sighed slightly at the end of his little speech, and turned away from me, looking into the forest.

"Tell me about Alice." I said. My voice was quiet, but something in it made Laurent turn back to me instantly and pour more information.

"She can see things in the future. See vampires and humans, see what's in anyone's future in fact, but she's more attuned to people she knows. She only sees things once someone's made a decision though – like, for instance, she would only see me arriving again in Forks once _you _had decided to send me here. If you hadn't told me…well, her visions are possible to confuse. Mess up. You can't fool her easily, but it is possible. She used to have premonitions when she was human. Her changing enhanced that talent to being able to see the future."

I still didn't say anything. Laurent seemed to be grasping at straws for more information.

"So the Cullen's are well protected by her. If someone decides to attack – she sees it. Only when that person has decided to attack, of course. Decided the day and time. And she can see vampire's better than humans. Clearer. Easier."

I still couldn't seem to speak. My mind was buzzing crazily, frantically absorbing all the information, as I realised just what I'd set myself up against.

_A mind reader, a future see-er. And more. Well, the only ones I _really_ have to worry about are Edward and Alice. _

The _only _ones. Ha ha.

This was going to be…near impossible.

"Victoria?" Laurent's voice seemed to be talking from very far away.

"Victoria, what are you thinking? _Victoria?_ Are you all right?"

Shut up, I thought vaguely.

"_Victoria?!"_

I sighed heavily.

"What? Victoria what is it?"

"Shut up saying my name." I snapped irritably. "I'm fine. I'm just…just…"

What _was_ I?

"I'm just…realising what I'm really up against. For the first time."

I turned to look at my source of information, standing anxiously next to me. "Thank you, Laurent." I forced a smile. "This is exactly the information I needed. And I will use it well; I promise you that."

* * *

**And yes she will use it well....*ominous music*....**

**Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

February merged into March, when we finally reached the city of Seattle. Seattle was _wonderful _– heavily populated, so finding meals was no problem – but still enough quiet, run down areas where we could feed unnoticed.

We travelled the city in less than a few hours, till we reached the outskirts. The houses began to fade away, and suddenly we were faced with another forest, looming in front of us invitingly. I stopped and turned to face Laurent.

He understood at once. "You cannot come with me any further," he guessed.

"Right," I said. He nodded, and turned away from me to face the trees again. I took a step closer to him from behind, to give my instructions.

"You know what to do." I said. "Find _her._ Find out where she lives, how she's protected. If at all."

_But I wasn't going to count on that._

"If the moment presents it…bring her back to me. But _do not_ kill her. I want to do that part myself."  
I smiled, venom welling in my mouth at the thought.

"Be as swift as you can with everything." He turned his face to look at me, over his shoulder.

"And hunting?"

"As _much _as you want. As _many_ as you like. Enjoy yourself." I gave him a knowing smile which he returned, looking pleased. I stepped back.

"Get going. I'll be waiting."

"I'll be back," he grinned – but there was something in his smile I didn't like. I calculated his expression carefully…it was almost….relieved. _Too_ relieved. Like a convict about to escape from a captor.

"Goodbye, Victoria." He darted off into the trees before I could reply.

I watched him go, but lost sight after only a few seconds. I sighed, turning back to look at the city I had just come out of. I was alone again. At least, for the time being. Laurent would take a day or two at the very least, and I would have to wait. Wait for the next step in my plan to unfold. Wait for the revenge I wanted. Wait. Wait…

* * *

Laurent didn't come back.

I waited and waited. I waited for days and days. Nothing. No one. _He didn't come back._

My first thought was maybe he had bailed out – got cold feet and decided to go running back to _Irina_ and her coven. But the disappearances reported in and around Forks were enough to convince me that no matter how unwilling he had seemed earlier to give me the information I needed, he was doing his job. But then the murders had stopped.

I waited and waited – waited and watched the big, dark forest - longing for him to appear. I ended up leaving the forest only to hunt – other than that, I would wait and wait…and wait…and wait….

When mid-March came, I couldn't bare to wait any longer. Yes, he may be finding it hard. Yes, she may be so well protected he had got scared of helping me anymore. Yes, he may have deserted me. But I had to know. I couldn't bare this waiting, watching, not knowing.

If he had deserted me, I was going to kill him.

I set off to Forks early that morning, and reached it around midday.

I was thirsty; I had disregarded my hunger in my rush to get to Forks quickly. But now wasn't the time to hunt.

I paused at the stupid "Welcome to Forks!" sign that flashed at me form a tall oak where it had been nailed. Where to go first? Bella's house, of course, would really be the place to start. But did I want to find Bella right now…? The decision tugged at me – I so, _so _wanted to find her again – but a strange, unfathomable feeling – almost _concern _- for my accomplice, made me think otherwise. I would find Laurent first.

It took barely twenty minutes to find his scent; old, but still just about traceable, leading deeper into the forest. I followed it eagerly, on and on into the trees, recalling vaguely that I had taken this route before – with _Him_. The pain shot through me chest again as I thought of him. James.

All those months back, when we had first met _that family_, we had taken this route. And I remembered what lay at the end of it. A small, hidden meadow – a beautiful place where James had lain with me on the grass; kissed me, stroked me, murmured words and whispered to me softly, whilst Laurent had gone hunting. Just thinking of his voice...his hands…his lips…

I had almost reached the clearing, before I realised the quiet, tearless, choking noise, was coming from me.

The little meadow was exactly as I remembered it. Private, peaceful, and sun filled. My strained, hopeless smile at the beauty of it was mingled with my sobs, which I couldn't seem to stop. _Stupid, weak, useless_. But I still couldn't hold them back. I walked further into the clearing, and the sun bounced off my skin, making it glitter and sparkle like diamonds.

It was only when I reached the very centre, that I smelt it. I stopped dead in my tracks. The scent was faint…very faint…almost like it had been days since the creatures had been here. But it was still absolutely _disgusting_. Ugh. One of the worst things I'd ever smelt in my life. Apart from…

It hit me then. Where I'd smelt something like this before.

A very, very long time ago, James and I had together hunted a Child of the Moon. A werewolf. James had wanted some fun – but it hadn't been very successful, and the both of us had given up the chase in the end. But I'd never forgotten the smell. That horrible, vile reek that we had followed for weeks on end in our hunt. The scent of the werewolf.

I backed away towards the trees, following the scent – different, and yet similar to the one James and I had followed all those years ago. Another scent caught my attention – sweet, flowery – a human. And I knew whose.

Before I could react however, yet _another_ one came to me again. Laurent's.

_Laurent's!_

I was running before I'd even planned to. The scents were so faint, so hard to pick out – but definitely there. I moved through the trees, scattering leaves and twigs with my haste, brushing aside branches and stamping on rocks and stones, crushing them under my weight – till I saw it. The scent stopped moving – both of them. They mingled together, run over in random patterns across the ground, twisting and tangling. Then I saw the ashes.

A small, scattered pile - the smell of them, like the two other scents, were faded. But there was no mistaking who's they were. His jacket lay on the ground to the right of the pile. It was ripped and shredded in many places, but still just about intact. I picked it up, and ran my nose along the length of it, just to make sure.

There was no doubt about it. No way to deny it. He had been killed. Killed by…werewolves. _Werewolves. _Obviously, judging by the slight change in the scent, they were different from the Children of the Moon. But not so different. Not different enough to change their strength, their ability to kill my kind.

I fought back a scream of anger. They had _killed _Laurent! Not that I cared tuppence about him, just the fact that he would have been so _useful, _so _helpful, _finding out the information I needed, helping me, planning with me – two were so much better than one.

And now I was alone again. Completely alone.

Forcing back furious, raging sobs of anger, I turned and rushed back to the little meadow, to follow that other trail. There it was; that flowery scent, the scent of…

Bella.

Hissing, I followed the trail as it moved from near the centre of the meadow to the edge, away from Laurent's. They must have both been there at the same time. But Bella had been alone…?

I moved to the right – the werewolves had entered from here, but instead of going for Bella…they had gone for Laurent. Bella's scent then zigzagged away from the meadow, back into the trees, towards that Indian Reservation I knew resided there, where she'd come from – La something. The same place the werewolves scent had come from…

Those damn werewolves.

I grabbed the nearest thing in sight, which turned out to be a tree, ripped it out of the ground and flung it with all my strength across the meadow. A boulder and several large branches followed it. Those vile, disgusting creatures killed _my accomplice_, completely disregarded _Bella_, almost as though they were _protecting_ her -!

Protecting her.

I lowered the second boulder I'd been about to throw, breathing heavily, and tried to clear my mind. This was useless. Throwing things, letting out my fury a little, wouldn't help anything. I wanted to get away from this place. This place that brought back those memories of Him, this place that had lost me my accomplice, now full of the scent of werewolves…

I crashed the final boulder into the nearest tree, then turned and left the meadow.

* * *

**I've decided to end the story with one more chapter for now :D no one's reading it and I'm doing about ten other stories at the same time lol! Maybe I'll come back to this someday :D**


	5. Chapter 5

I was far from that meadow now – but the memories of Him seemed to have followed me here. They wouldn't leave me alone – every vague plan or idea I'd come up with in the past hour had gone nowhere. His face seemed to be plastered in front of my eyes, his voice blaring in my heard.

I groaned and sank down to the ground at the edges of a forest, drawing my knees up and burying my face in my arms.

_Think of Edward. Think of the Cullens. Think of how much you hate them, how much they're going to pay. Think of how you're going to reach her. How you're going to get past them all, alone. _

I drew my head of my arms, and shifted into the shadows so the diamonds on my skin wouldn't reveal me if some stupid stray human happened to pass.

Bella had been all alone in that meadow. Laurent had found her, got close to her going by the trail of scents. Had she somehow persuaded Edward to let her go into the forest alone? He was unswervingly protective of her – it was one of the things we'd counted on when James – _don't think of it._ Focus.

She'd been alone. Without Edward. In _werewolf_ territory of all places! Vampires and werewolves had been life-long enemies – everyone knew that! So why had they let her go, alone, into a forest with a werewolf pack living just minutes away? Wouldn't the physic have foreseen both Laurent and a werewolf pack? Two great danger's to _any_ human's life?

Unless they had disregarded the werewolves, and really thought that I wouldn't come back. That I wouldn't have revenge, that I'd run off and never dare face them. Would they really think that? Was Bella, even now, sitting unprotected in her home? Were all the Cullens relaxing in their big house, unaware of the danger she was in?

There was only one way to find out.

* * *

The Cullen's house was _huge. _Tall and grand – but there was something wrong with it. Looking left and right, I snuck out from my hiding place behind an overgrown bush and crept down the driveway towards the front door. The house was dark. The windows were black. No cars sat in the driveway. No scents of any beings except rats lingered anywhere. Weeds grew all over the place, the garden unkempt. I crept up to the doorway, and peered through the letterbox. The hallway was empty, and dark. Not convinced, I opened the door as quietly as I could, and stepped into the house. I wandered from room to empty room – not a single piece of furniture sat anywhere. Dust was thick on every surface. Everything was still, and silent.

I hardly dared to believe it. The house was _empty_! It hadn't been lived in for a few months at least. Which meant…..

I felt a wide smile spread over my face.

I turned to wander up the stairs – I tore down the door to each of the bedrooms in turn, and strode into each, my feet crushing over bits of stray wood and paper. Nothing. No one. I left the house and ran round the back, hardly daring to believe it, my eyes scanning over every bush and tree for any sign of life – or indeed, any sign that anything had inhabited this place in the past few months. But my eyes only fell on one thing.

I walked, holding my breath, over to the sign which lay upturned on the ground, a few feet from the back door. I bent and picked it up.

It was a "sold" sign.

I crushed it to smithereens in my fists, beginning to laugh uncontrollably with delight. It was a harsh, sharp and utterly humorous sound – but I didn't care. I laughed and laughed, then threw down the shards of the signpost and crushed it under my feet.

They were_ gone!_

_Gone!_

_The Cullens were gone._

* * *


End file.
